Indian Spiced Faux-Fried Rice, or “Khichdi”

They invoke emotions of nostalgia, memories of home, and flavors that just take you back to when you were a kid and you could smell dinner cooking in the kitchen.

When I was a kid, we ate Indian food most evenings for dinner at my house. But my parents liked to mix it up and put twists on traditional Indian dishes (e.g. instead of making the traditional Cauliflower Sabji, they’d make one from Butternut Squash or Bok Choy). On an evening when there wasn’t much time to cook, or when we just wanted a light dinner, my mom would make Khichdi.

And recently, when I stayed at my dads a few weeks ago while the husband was traveling through India, my dad made Khichdi for me.

What is Khichdi? It sounds like a weird word doesn’t it? But it’s actually just an Indian Spiced Rice with Lentils and Vegetables. Kind of like a Faux-Fried version of traditional Asian Fried Rice.

It’s a simple and easy dish that you can literally make in one pot. And of course, it’s amazingly good for you. It’s balanced and light, and is supposed to be detoxifying and cleansing.

And in true form, my parents made Khichadi with a mix of basmati rice and quinoa, and added vegetables like asparagus, green beans, zucchini, and carrots. The texture of the quinoa + rice + lentils gives you the feeling of a fried rice dish, without the added fat and calories. And as an added bonus, you get to experiment with fun Indian spices like Turmeric, Cumin and Coriander in this recipes as well.

Note: if you want to make your own Khichdi Masala from scratch – here are the proportions/ingredients:

1 Tbsp turmeric

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp fennel

1 Tbsp mustard seed

1 Tbsp coriander

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne

Optional: Serve with 0% unsweetened Greek Yogurt

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The Directions

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Step 1: Wash the mixture of rice, moong dal (lentils) and quinoa until all the sediment is gone and the water runs clear.

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Step 2: Chop your veggies. Combine all the ingredients (grains + lentils + vegetables) in a large pot, add the masala. Note: If you want to add the onion / garlic / ginger, saute it in olive oil first and then add it to the pot.

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Step 3: Bring everything to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Let it cook for 20-30 minutes until all the water has been absorbed.

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I love how it looks when it’s almost ready to eat! Sometimes the rice gets a little browned on the bottom of the pot, which I don’t mind at all because I like it a little crispy.

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Step 4: Garnish with cilantro, serve with yogurt if you like!

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This is great as a light meal, or even as a side dish to serve with other vegetable dishes, and a great Indian spiced lentil soup if you want a bigger dinner. It’s also gluten-free, and can be made vegan if you just omit the yogurt.

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Any way you make it, it won’t disappoint you, and is super easy to make for any first-time cooks out there!

Wash the mixture of rice, moong dal (lentils) and quinoa until all the sediment is gone and the water runs clear

Chop your veggies. Combine all the ingredients (grains + lentils + vegetables) in a large pot, add the masala. Note: If you want to add the onion / garlic / ginger, saute it in olive oil first and then add it to the pot.

Bring everything to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Let it cook for 20-30 minutes until all the water has been absorbed

Garnish with cilantro, serve with yogurt if you like!

Notes

Note: if you want to make your own Khichdi Masala from scratch – here are the proportions/ingredients:

Khichedi with vegetables added sounds so delicious. I was going to make khichedi tonight so will try adding the vegetables to it. It’s lovely to see this explained in detail with lots of pictures. Thank you.

That is so true Kate! Indian food at restaurants is often really high fat due to the butter and cream that’s used in almost every dish. But my Indian recipes are much much lighter, but have the same great Indian flavor that restaurant dishes have! I’m sure you will love this recipe!

Welcome

Hello! I'm Anjali. I'm a Board Certified Health Coach, wife, mom, and food lover from the SF Bay Area (now living in Ann Arbor, MI!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty, and fun! Try some of my recipes here, and learn more about me here.